2012 Chevrolet Equinox Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Equinox years
- More complaints than other years 5th of 22 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 685 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. That ranks 5th out of 22 Equinox model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (355 complaints, 52%), typically at around 88,957 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 6 fires, 13 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.

- 685owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 16complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Chevrolet Equinox problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 355 | 52% | 88,957 | “oil consumption” (27%) | $4,300 |
| Visibility/wiper problems | 121 | 18% | 94,000 | “wipers stopped” (30%) | $440 |
| Power Train problems | 84 | 12% | 75,341 | “timing chain” (13%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 70 | 10% | 65,000 | “goes off” (7%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 54 | 8% | 69,000 | “oil consumption” (20%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 53 | 8% | 83,298 | — | — |
| Steering | 36 | 5% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 26 | 4% | 78,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 26 | 4% | 68,875 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 19 | 3% | 62,271 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 18 | 3% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 12 | 2% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 12 | 2% | 39,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 11 | 2% | 75,879 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 1% | 129,687 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 1% | 65,633 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 1% | 21,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 1% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0% | 59,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 0% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 0% | 1 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 0% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 0% | 223,500 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 0% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 68,303 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0% | 77,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Chevrolet Equinox recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:ignition; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Seats:front assembly:power adjust
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Buick LaCrosse, Regal and Chevrolet Camaro, as well as certain 2010-2012 Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain vehicles, equipped with power height adjustable driver and passenger seats. In the affected vehicles, the bolt that secures the driver's and passenger's power front seat height adjuster may fall out causing the seat to drop suddenly to the lowest vertical position.
Risk: If the driver's seat unexpectedly drops, the distraction and altered seat position may affect the drivers' control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the height adjuster shoulder bolts, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed interim letters to owners on September 11, 2014. The recall began on December 26, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-458-8006 (Cadillac), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), or 1-800-462-8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14271.
Tires:pressure monitoring and regulating systems
Problem: General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2012 chevrolet equinox and gmc terrain vehicles, manufactured from july 18, 2011, through september 6, 2011, for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 138, "tire pressure monitoring system" (tpms). The tire pressure monitoring system is designed to illuminate the tire pressure warning light when the pressure in a tire is 25% below the recommended cold tire pressure. On these vehicles, the light will not illuminate until the tire pressure is more than 25% below the recommended cold tire pressure.
Risk: Underinflated tires can result in tire overloading and overheating, which could lead to a blowout and possible crash. The resulting crash could cause serious injury. Underinflated tires can also result in premature or irregular wear, poor handling, and poor fuel economy.
Fix: Gm dealers will update the body control module free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about november 9, 2011. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Momentary Increased Steering Effort (PE20009) — opened Jun 1, 2020, closed Jun 3, 2022.
- Front Wiper Transmission Inoperative (EA19005) — opened Dec 13, 2019, closed Nov 28, 2022, led to recall 22V165000.
- Windshield Wiper Transmission Failure (RQ18002) — opened Nov 2, 2018, closed Dec 19, 2019.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
We would like to know what kind of Airbag is mounted in the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox ? pertaining to the Detroit News Article ,September 5 2026 Page 3B = 11th Death tied to Chinese Air Bag made by Jillin Province Detiannuo Automotive System Co Ltd, known as DTN . 3 People were killed in a Hyundai ,10…
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. While the contact's daughter was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and the engine shut off. The contact's daughter attempted to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle started. There was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with several…
See attached document for complaint.
Wipers do not work Seems to not recognize when idling and starts to shake if stopped at a red light. Randomly will go through 2 quarts of oil in one day
The abs braking and stability control light came on and has stayed on and took to mechanic shop and was told to repair would be $4000 .that's more than what the car is worth!changed motor oil many times since I owned the car and it uses oil quite much.ihe oil gauge can say I have 70 percent oil and…
Other Chevrolet Equinox years
← 2011 Equinox · 2013 Equinox →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Equinox | 72 | 1 |
| 2025 Equinox | 233 | 0 |
| 2024 Equinox | 80 | 1 |
| 2023 Equinox | 98 | 3 |
| 2022 Equinox | 182 | 6 |
| 2021 Equinox | 99 | 4 |
| 2020 Equinox | 313 | 4 |
| 2019 Equinox | 305 | 4 |
| 2018 Equinox | 409 | 5 |
| 2017 Equinox | 276 | 0 |
| 2016 Equinox | 398 | 1 |
| 2015 Equinox | 680 | 2 |
| 2014 Equinox | 548 | 1 |
| 2013 Equinox | 751 | 2 |
| 2012 | 685 | 3 |
| 2011 Equinox | 782 | 3 |
| 2010 Equinox | 784 | 3 |
| 2009 Equinox | 94 | 0 |
| 2008 Equinox | 370 | 0 |
| 2007 Equinox | 685 | 4 |
| 2006 Equinox | 695 | 0 |
| 2005 Equinox | 638 | 1 |
See all Chevrolet Equinox problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
Owners most often report engine, visibility/wiper, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 355 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Equinox model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.